Shell makes latest electric vehicle move with Dutch purchase

Shell has bought up Dutch electric vehicle charging provider NewMotion as the company continues to push low carbon transport following news it would roll out chargers at its petrol station forecourts.

Under the terms of the deal, NewMotion will continue to supply its range of smart chargers to homes and businesses on the same basis as before but as a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell.

Clean Energy News understands that the company will continue to deliver its business strategy across Europe, with Shell seeking to leverage its own customer and asset base in the future to help NewMotion grow in scale.

Matthew Tipper, Shell’s vice president for new fuels, said: “[This] announcement is an early step towards ensuring customers can access a range of refuelling choices over the coming decades, as new technologies evolve to co-exist with traditional transport fuels. This move provides customers the flexibility to charge their electric vehicles at home, work and on the go.”

NewMotion operates more than 30,000 private electric charge points for homes and businesses in the Netherlands, Germany, France and the UK. It also provides access to a network of more than 50,000 public charge points across 25 European countries, serving more than 100,000 registered charge cards.

“We are very pleased to have such a strong investor that fully supports our mission, enabling us to further expand across Europe at a time when the transition to electric vehicles is gathering pace,” said Sytse Zuidema, chief executive of NewMotion.

“We are excited that our ongoing mission and belief in a transition towards less-polluting transport [sources] has been endorsed so strongly by Shell, one of the world’s leading energy companies.”

The news comes just a few months after Shell announced it would begin installing charge points in the UK through a partnership with Dutch electric vehicle charging provider Allego. This deal will continue to stand as NewMotion does not supply the rapid chargers needed for forecourt delivery.

A spokesperson for Shell said: “It's a slightly different proposition which is why it is a benefit to the whole portfolio. You have Allego doing one element and NewMotion doing another which means as a company we are across the electrification space.”

Tipper added: “When you add this customer offer to our current roll out of fast charging points on Shell forecourts, we believe we are developing the full raft of charge solutions required to support the future of EVs.”